By Elvis Dumba
Farmers in Makonde District‘s Ward 6 have joined hands with a local mining investor in the road rehabilitation project to maintain the Poverty Valley Road.
The 45-kilometer road links Chinhoyi, Mhangura, and Raffingora, which is expected to enhance agriculture productivity in the area and improve access to various services by the farmers.
Makonde Rural District Council Ward 6 Councilor Moses Nyamupondo said they have embraced the government’s call for communities to partner in the development of their communities in partnership with investors who have investment in the area.
“As the local community, we are grateful for investors such as Lomugundi Quary Mine, a Chinese investor who has come and joined us in our efforts to ensure we have good access road and this road which we are both working to improve will go a long way to ensure that we easily access various services we need from Chinhoyi or Mhangura and Raffingora,” he said.
During a tour of Lomugundi Quary Mine Project in Nyamugomba Village in Ward 6 by The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon Marian Chombo hailed the initiative which she said reflects government’s position on public private partnerships and for communities to take charge of their community development.
Appreciating the road maintaince works on the road, the Minister said the works are testament that communities are embracing the president’s call of ensuring that community development is spearheaded by the local residents.
“This works speak volumes to the positive impact which can be made if communities join hands in spearheading their own development and as a country which is open for business we are committed to support such investors who plough back in the community and creating employment of our own people,” she said.
The Minister challenged other Chinese investors to make a positive difference in the communities they work in by ensuring infrastructure development is of good quality.
Lomugundi Quary Mine is a seven million dollar Chinese quary mine investment with the lifespan of eighty years, which is expected to employ over four hundred people.
Brian Bangira , Chief Executive Officer of Brandpole Private Limited, the company behind Lomugundi Quary Mine, said as an investor they saw it fit to ensure that they operate in a community which benefit from its resources.
” As our company, we saw it fit that before we do anything we need to ensure we are working hand in glove with the local community to ensure that the people benefit from its natural resources and as a company we have joined in the efforts by the locals to have a good road and we have sunk a borehole at a local school,” he said.
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